Lowering the Drinking Age


Legal drinking age- it’s been a problem since alcohol has been on shelves. But that’s because drinking can be dangerous, especially when done in excess. Consumption of alcohol impairs judgment, causing individuals to make poor, and even life-threatening decisions. It also decreases motor skills, often leading to terrible accidents. In fact, over 88,000 deaths can be attributed to excessive alcohol use each year in the United States. So, it’s understandable that the government would place restrictions on alcohol consumption. They have been since before the 20th century. In 1919, the U.S. government passed the 18th amendment, which formally banned alcohol that wasn’t used for medical purposes. During this period of Prohibition, there was more binge drinking, more people drinking unsafe alcohol, and no significant decline in the number of alcohol related deaths. Finally, congress ratified the 21st amendment in1933, which ended Prohibition. At that point, states were allowed to set their own legal drinking age. Most states set the drinking age between 18 and 22. Then, in 1984, the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed. This act required all states to raise their minimum purchase and public possession of alcohol age to 21. States that didn’t comply would receive a reduction in highway funds under the Federal Highway Aid Act. Since then, 21 has been the national legal drinking age across the U.S. Although many believe that 21 is an appropriate age for alcohol consumption and that this drinking age helps prevent alcohol related deaths, 18 is a more appropriate national drinking age. In the United States, 18 is the age of maturity, and the National Minimum Drinking Age act could actually encourage excessive drinking among young adults.




For all federal purposes, in the United States, eighteen is the age of maturity. An eighteen year old is given all the rights of a legal adult- except the right to buy and consume alcohol. An eighteen year old has the rights to vote, to obtain medical care without parental consent, to make a will and power of attorney, to personally sign a contract, to apply for credit, to be independent from parental control, and to enlist in the armed forces without parental consent. It is ridiculous that while eighteen year olds are given the above legal rights, they are still not given the right to drink alcohol. If eighteen year olds are considered mature enough to vote and to personally sign a contract, they should be considered mature enough to consume alcohol responsibly. Allowing an eighteen year old to vote for the leader of our country is a much bigger risk than allowing them to legally consume alcoholic beverages.

The biggest incongruity in this situation is that an eighteen year old can enlist in the army without parental consent. That means individuals can fight and die for our country, but they cannot walk into a bar and buy a drink. One in six soldiers killed in Iraq were under the age of 21. These soldiers saw things most people don’t want to imagine, did things most people won’t have to do for their entire lives, and they died without being able to enjoy a simple night out to the bar with their friends. The U.S. military is highly concentrated in young people. Most soldiers enlist immediately following high school or after one year of college. These are the men that our country should honor- the men that our country should respect. We trust these men to defend our freedom, but we don’t trust them with a drink. Moreover, it is hypothesized that soldiers who are not exposed to alcohol in safe settings before experiencing combat will be more likely to abuse alcohol afterwards. America needs to decide whether or not eighteen year olds are mature. If they are, give them the right to consume and buy alcohol. If they’re not, they shouldn’t be voting, signing contracts, and they definitely shouldn’t be dying for our country.

Not only is the current drinking age incongruent with the age of maturity, but it also brews great disrespect for the law. Over 70% of U.S. teens have illegally consumed alcohol, but many of these teens will not face jail time. Often underage drinking goes unnoticed by county authorities. As a teenager, I’ll admit to knowing many people who drink, but I don’t know a single person who has ever been penalized for it. This kind of slack law enforcement encourages teenagers and young adults to break the law. If the drinking age were lowered to eighteen, the authorities would have a smaller scope of people to advise when it comes to underage drinking. Over 48% of all college students who drink are under 21. If authorities didn’t have to focus on this large demographic, they could spend more energy penalizing teenagers who drink illegally.




Though the legal drinking age of 21 was enforced to protect people from the dangers of alcohol consumption, in some ways it encourages the opposite. The drinking age doesn’t eliminate alcohol abuse for those under 21, it just drives it underground. Instead of consuming alcohol in safe public settings, 18-20 year olds are consuming alcohol at parties and at home. Oftentimes they will drink more because they’re not sure when they’ll be able to drink again. Between 1993 and 2001, 18-20 year old drinkers displayed a 56% increase in binge-drinking episodes among American adults. Not only does the legal drinking age of 21 exacerbate the dangerous habit of binge drinking for 18-20 year olds, but also for 21-25 year olds. Having waited so long for the freedom to buy and consume alcohol, many young adults will abuse this newly-given right, as young adults 21-25 have the highest rate of binge drinking in the U.S. This law is encouraging unhealthy habits of binge-drinking among young adults and forcing them to consume alcohol only in private unregulated settings.

Because neurological studies do point to immaturity in young adults, many believe 18 year olds are not responsible enough to handle alcohol. During adolescence, the brain’s prefrontal cortex is still developing. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that controls impulses and goal setting. This brain research suggests that young adults are more likely to abuse alcohol than someone whose brain is fully developed. So, according to this logic, the brain should be matured by age 21. However, research shows brain is not fully mature until age 25. Therefore, neurological stability is an invalid argument against lowering the drinking age. Between the ages of 18-21, there are no significant differences in the brain. Responsibility is simply determined by experience, education, and circumstance of the individual.

Another concern about lowering the drinking age is that it will cause an increase in drunk driving accidents. In countries with a legal drinking age of 18, there are actually fewer drunk driving accidents. When the United States increased the drinking age to 21 in 1984, its rate of traffic accidents and fatalities decreased less than that of European countries whose legal drinking ages are lower than 21. Regardless of the minimum legal drinking age, car accidents and fatalities related to alcohol consumption are most common among newly legal drivers. In 2009, the highest percentage of drivers in fatal drunk driving accidents were between 21 and 24 years old. If there was a rise in traffic accidents for 18-20 year olds after the drinking age was lowered. It would be offset by a decrease in traffic accidents for 21-24 year olds.

The minimum legal drinking age of 21 encourages dangerous behavior like binge drinking and contradicts all other rights of eighteen year olds as adults. Frankly, it is absurd that a person who can vote and enlist in the military cannot simply enjoy a beer. True, there are some eighteen year olds who are not mature enough to drink responsibly, but there are almost as many irresponsible 22 and 24 year olds. It is time to repeal the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. If the drinking age is lowered to eighteen, it is a concern that eighteen year olds who are still in high school will buy alcohol for their friends that are minors. As this could be a significant problem, all persons 18 or older should be required to complete a class before consuming alcohol. The class would teach the dangers of excessive drinking and the strict penalizations for buying alcohol for minors and for driving while intoxicated. With this education, 18-20 year olds would be able to enjoy alcohol safely and responsibly. No longer would young adults be driven to binge drinking by the minimum legal drinking age. No longer would the law be so loosely enforced. No longer would our soldiers die without experiencing a simple night out to the bar. Either the drinking age is lowered to eighteen, or the other rights of eighteen year olds need to be seriously reconsidered.